The Red and Black

Spend just a couple of months outside of Athens, and you will quickly realize what an awesome town the Classic City is.

I lived in Macon for the majority of the summer, interning in the Communications Office at Wesleyan College and working for The Eleventh Hour, Macon’s version of Athens’ Flagpole.

With its newly revamped downtown and history of musical successes such as The Allman Brothers Band, James Brown, Little Richard and Otis Redding, Macon in some ways reminds me of a scaled-down version of Athens, music-wise.

At the end of the summer, I spent a couple of weeks near Asheville, N.C., a city with a similar feel to Athens but with way more emphasis on outdoor recreation and quality cuisine.

I see Athens as a perfect mix of the two. You can find great music happening here every night, our restaurant selection is top-notch and we have an abundance of hiking/biking/running trails, parks and waterfronts.

It’s good to be back.

Now let me introduce you to the weekly section in front of you.

Out & About exists as a way to preview the arts and entertainment happenings for the coming weekend.

For those of you who don’t know, the weekend starts on Thursday in Athens, so when I say “weekend” I really mean Thursday afternoon through Sunday night.

We will give you the inside scoop on what’s going on at your favorite drinking holes, but we’ll also expose you to lesser known goings-on. Look here for alternatives to the “same-old, same-old.”

To the left, we feature “Dunn and Don Vito’s Rock Night Tour” as our best bet for the weekend. I say go see those crazy guys from MTV’s “Viva la Bam” do their thing and hope their antics don’t burn the place down.

Some other MTV personalities have been seen around Athens lately, namely at Last Call, where Real World and Road Rules cast members are guest bartending Saturday nights. Last week was Danny from this season’s Real World; this week Ace and Adam from the Real World: Paris are making an appearance. Check out the story on 5B.

Plus, there are loads of back-to-school events. On the next page, read about a local fundraising effort for some well-known national charities. See page 7B for a story about the University’s Welcome Week activities and 11B to learn about popular bands at popular bars rocking in the new semester.

Are you a fan of local music? We have you covered. Modern Skirts and Rehab are playing this weekend and releasing new CDs. Turn to 4B to read about them.

Plus, Cliff Kindy is giving a lecture on his experiences in Iraq on 5B. The guy was almost killed by an unsuccessful suicide bomber but also met several good-hearted Iraqis while overseas.

Not in the mood for music? Check out 9B, our “Mind, Body & Soul” page, for a piece on a local hypnotist as well as volunteer opportunities at Sandy Creek Park, a beautiful waterfront nature reserve that offers so much more than I realized.

Those new to the area can find a few helpful features on local restaurants on 7B, plus a piece about the best places to play trivia and a column about who to love/hate as an Athens resident on 11B.

We cover all the bases on our listings page — 6B —, then give you a bit of national entertainment news on 8B.

Welcome back to those who already know how cool it is to live here and hello to all of you who are soon to learn how lucky you are.

— Katie Tanner is

Out & About editor

of The Red & Black.

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